Bridge Fixing - Short Accounts

Bridges are great examples of something that is desperately needed to get from one side of something to another. There are all types of course, and some are more for convenience of travel, than connecting people, but all in all, they are important, to say the least. Some we cross over and never look back, and some become part of our lives forever. Bridges are part of life; they connect us, and keep us moving.

We are all travelers through life, and bridges help connect us in ways that would not  be possible otherwise. The greatest bridge ever built, crosses into eternity, and was built by Jesus on the cross. Amazing, but God gave His son and a piece of wood to heal all of humanity’s brokenness, through the breaking of Him, on the cross. That is hard for me. as a dad, to imagine, but God did it. That is why He is God and not someone like me, and we now have access to a Holy and perfect God, through Jesus Christ’s completed work on the cross. 

Most relationships happen because two lives are bridged together by something. Unfortunately, we sometimes let a situation or circumstance push us apart, and either we put a divide between us so wide, that no new bridge could help, or we simply burn the one that connected us in the first place. This is all too familiar for some of us. Funny thing is, the cause and effect is rooted in the same thing: pride.

Pride says: “I am right, and you are wrong.” Whatever the reason, anger is the by-product, and anger justifies many a bridge-burning episode. Why burn it? I have counseled many people through reconciliations, and more often than not, the why is forgotten pretty quickly, and usually upon review, apologized for, when people recognize what they had put over the value of their relationship.

If anger is the justification, then time is the fuel for the fire. There is only one way to keep bridges from being destroyed this way – short accounts. Instead of waiting for someone to make the first move, we, as followers of Christ, need to be first-movers, regardless of perceived cause. Why? Because the Bible tells us to…

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶ "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold.

Anger doesn’t fix anything, and as a matter of fact. seems more like a place where the devil can do his best work. We need to remember the completed work of Christ, and instead of looking for reasons to support decisions that hurt others, look for ways to keep and maintain relationships, especially inside the church. Because how can we expect to build bridges to a lost community, when we can’t keep the ones we have with each other?

I helped fix a bridge today, and the funny thing is, it was me that felt fixed…is there some bridge fixin’ you need to get to?

…just prayin’

In His Grip, 

Pastor Pat